The Making of the Modern World: 1945 to the Present Series (9 Titles)

The Making of the Modern World: 1945 to the Present Series (9 Titles)

$89.55

Since the end of World War II, the world has transformed in profound, far-reaching ways. The dismantling of European empires after the war led to decolonization, and the realignment of WWII allies led to conflict between superpowers. As the Cold War heated up, two ideologies—capitalism and communism—shaped daily life and international affairs. And as it wound down, a tidal wave of globalization wrought new avenues for growth but new sources of conflict—between the wealthy and the poor, between the Global South and the Global North. The Making of the Modern World: 1945 to the Present offers students an accessible guide to these transformations. In a compelling narrative style, the human story of our planet’s most recent history comes to life.

Culture and Customs in a Connected World explores how cultural connections across international boundaries increased following World War II. From radio and television to literature and journalism, culture and ideas linked humanity more than ever, even as the Cold War tore an ideological rift between superpowers. It also examines how, in the 1990s, after the Cold War ended, the Internet and other globalizing forces helped to create a “free marketplace of ideas” and helped multiculturalism flourish, even as American culture spread to more corners of the globe.

This volume, Education, Poverty, and Inequality, explores economic hardship in the aftermath of World War II, the challenges facing newly independent nations in terms of poverty, inequality, and development, and how the major powers in the Cold War approached social welfare policy. It also examines how the nations of the developing world have grown in strength even as they have struggled with nagging development issues. The United Nations, including its Millennium Development Goals, also takes center stage, as does the effect of globalization on people’s livelihoods and economic prospects.

Food, Population, and the Environment covers the rising concerns about the degradation of the planet’s ecosystems following World War II, one of the most environmentally destructive wars in history. The vast increase in the use of pesticides and other chemicals after the war signaled some of the first alarms, as did population growth and food security. And as scientists and activists became more aware of the damages from climate change, pollution, deforestation, and desertification, an environmental movement began to translate into local and international action.

This volume, Governance and the Quest for Security, explores the approach the Allies took in rebuilding the broken postwar world—including creating such institutions as the World Bank and the United Nations—and the escalation of tensions in the Cold War. Decolonization also takes center stage: while offering hope to many of the world’s people, gaining independence brought challenges still felt today. The volume concludes by examining how the Cold War gave way to pressures from globalization and ongoing threats from regional conflicts and terrorism.

Health and Medicine charts how progress was made in treating and promoting humanity’s well-being following World War II. Health care was critical during and after the war, as diseases like tuberculosis spread rampantly. It was also shaped by the Cold War–including advances in nuclear medicine arising from weapons research. Efforts at expanding health care in developing countries and confronting diseases in wealthier nations, such as obesity, are also covered, as are the ways the world community has responded to crises, such as AIDS, Ebola, and the Zika virus.

This volume, Migration and Refugees, explores the movements of people since World War II—beginning with the huge flux of humanity following the war, up to the massive migrations of people out of the Middle East, North Africa, and Afghanistan today. It examines the ways economic hardship and political strife have caused people—over the last seven decades—to look for homes in new lands. And it also covers how environmental concerns and natural disasters have uprooted many in all areas of the globe.

This volume, Science and Technology, explores how the advances of World War II led to Cold War competition, and how government-sponsored research helped to send humans to the moon, to harness the atom for good and bad, and to pave the way for the Internet. It also examines how private industry in the West gained from those “Big Science” projects and opened up avenues in biotech and personal computing, among other fields. The last chapters also explore the ethical challenges raised by recent scientific developments, such as genetic engineering and drone technology.

This volume, Trade, Economic Life, and Globalization, covers the economic devastation wrought by World War II, the institutions that the Allies created to help nations recover from the war, and how the Cold War bled into the economic arena. Consumerism and the emergence of the middle class in Western countries is also a major theme, as are the challenges—and promises—created by the expansion of free trade and the collapsing of national economic boundaries.

Women, Minorities, and Changing Social Structures covers how minority rights, women’s rights, and indigenous rights shaped the decades following World War II. It investigates the struggle of these groups for recognition and power, especially in the context of the Cold War and as globalization helped to spread activists’ messages about equality and political access. Multiculturalism also takes center stage–especially in the ways governments and international groups used the concept to promote diversity in their communities and societies.